Friday, January 13, 2012

Pork and Carrot Curry w.Sweet Potatoes and Spinach and a Paleo update

It's Day 6 of my 30 Day Total Transformation by Robb Wolf! I'm feeling good overall. Today I've had some real cravings for sweet bready stuff like cupcakes or cookies...not giving into it though....I'm recognizing the craving and sending it on it's way.
I've been feeling strong in my workouts, which is the goal of this program for me.
And no, I didn't weigh myself to see if I'm going to drop weight. I can see in the mirror how things are going for me. I actually can't believe that I'm almost done with my first week. It has flown by.

Workout was mid-morning, a Kettlebell Fusion workout
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs in coconut oil and Canadian bacon, sweet potato
Post workout - 1.5 pieces Canadian Bacon and the CoCa Smoothie
Lunch: Greens, avocado and hot smoked maple cured salmon
Snack: Handful of pistachios
Dinner: Pork and Carrot Curry
To give you an idea about a typical Kettlebell Fusion workout, here is what my workout consisted of:
A short Joint Mobility warm up....then Intervals of 30(s) work and 15(s) rest:
1) Battling Ropes x2 rounds
2) Swings -20kg /Alt One Arm Swings - 16kg
3) Dead Cleans L/R - 16kg
4) Deadlifts - 44kg/RKC Plank
5) Military Press L/R - 14kg
Repeat all 10 rounds
Then to finish an 8 minute Tabata (20(s) work/10(s) rest), Alt one arm swings -16kg/Pushups
Good stuff!!!!!! HUNGER INDUCING!!
On to the recipe...Paleo friendly Pork and Carrot Curry. I adapted this recipe to be Paleo friendly from Clean Eating Magazine. While it is "clean" eating, the original recipe has white potatoes and Greek yogurt in it.
I switched out the white potatoes for sweet potatoes and used coconut milk yogurt instead of the Greek yogurt. If the idea of coconut milk yogurt doesn't thrill you on the Paleo diet, then sub in coconut milk. I also added in some more "green" to the recipe by adding in spinach. Lastly, I added in smoked paprika to the marinade. It's my secret weapon! Adding it to dishes causes people that eat them to say, What's that flavor??? Try it sometime!
I made the dish on the stove but this would be a great recipe to make in a slow cooker. I will give directions to adapt it for the slow cooker.
Ingredients

*Both the ginger and the garlic are easy to grate/mince by using the microplane. Here you can see the garlic, after it has been run over the microplane; it creates a nice texture which melts easily into a marinade such as this one w.the coconut yogurt or milk.
Technique
1. Mix yogurt (or milk) with the ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric and S+P. Add in pork and marinate for as long as you can, up to 24hrs in the fridge.
2. Season the onions w.S+P and sweat them in some coconut oil, over medium-low heat, covered for 5 minutes. If using the slow cooker, this step is optional. You don't need to sweat the onions first. If you had time, sure, go ahead, but it's not necessary.
3. To the onions, add the pork and marinade, tomatoes w.juice, 1/2 cup water, carrots and sweet potatoes, and stir to combine, again seasoning w.S+P.
**If using the slow cooker, add all of these ingredients into a the pot. Cover, and cook on low, for 6-8hrs. Test pork after 6hrs to see how it's going. If almost done after 6, add in spinach, cover again, and cook for ~20 minutes more. If not done at 6hrs left, let it go longer, adding in spinach with about 20 minutes to go. Then proceed with #6 below.
4. Increase heat to medium, cover, and simmer until veggies are soft and pork is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in spinach and cook for a couple minutes more.
6. Add in chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice; taste for season and adjust S+P.
The finished stew has a zippy taste from the ginger and a warmth from the smoked paprika. The coconut flavor of the milk or yogurt works really well with the warm spices and the lime juice and cilantro rounds it all out.....it also makes a delicious post-workout breakfast!!!
The spinach worked great but other greens would also go well here, such as kale or even collard greens. I topped a bowl with avocado which made it that much better.
Next up on the blog, a recipe for Cube Steak and Mushrooms and a review of Improveat's Coconut Wraps!